People communicate wirelessly and on the go. Among the devices that make this possible are those sometimes referred to as mobile two-way radios. Examples of mobile two-way radios include cell phones, smartphones, walkie-talkies, and portable hotspots, among others. A mobile two-way radio could be handheld (as may be the case for a walkie-talkie), body-mounted, or attached to a vehicle (such as the roof of a car), as examples.
Given the relative ease with which radio signals can be intercepted, communication with (or between) mobile radios is often encrypted to prevent interception of the communication by third parties. Encryption is the process of converting readable text or other data (often called “plaintext”) into unintelligible text (often called “ciphertext”), while decryption is the process of converting ciphertext back to the original plaintext. The respective algorithms used for encryption and decryption are often referred to collectively as a cipher. Examples of common ciphers include Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Blowfish, Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (3DES), and RC4, among numerous others.
A given cipher typically uses one or more cryptographic keys for encryption and decryption. Common examples of cryptographic keys include passwords, digital certificates, and random and/or pseudo-random data. Any party (including a third party) with access to a cryptographic key used to encrypt a given plaintext may be able to decrypt the ciphertext; therefore, for encryption to be effective, the cryptographic key should be known only to the sender and receiver. Accordingly, there is a need for securely providing cryptographic keys to mobile radios.
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The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.